Recently, plant pollen
has been used
as a source of activated carbon to produce carbon-containing supercapacitor
electrodes. However, in this study, pollen was used as a biotemplate
with a completely different approach. As a biotemplate, pollen offers
a wide range of varieties in terms of exterior, porosity, shape, and
size. An electrode formed by the use of metal oxide grown on the pollen
exine layer (sporopollenin microcapsules) as the active substance
will inevitably exhibit good electrochemical capacitive properties.
Juglans
male flowers have been distinguished by dissection
from anthers. Isolation of pollen grains from anthers was carried
out using sieving from suitable sieves (45–200 μm).
Juglans
sporopollenin exine microcapsules (SECs)
were separated from the intine and protoplasm by acetolysis in combination
with reflux. The solution containing SECs, metal ions, and Ni foam
was put into a Teflon-lined hydrothermal container, and then, it was
reacted at 120 °C for 15 h. The resulting precipitate, as well
as the Ni foam, was heat-treated at 300 and 360 °C for 3 h in
air. The raw pollen, chemically treated pollen, and cobalt-coated
SEC (CoSEC) and CoSEC/Ni foam were characterized using scanning electron
microscopy, Brunauer–Emmett–Teller surface area analysis,
thermogravimetric analysis, and X-ray diffraction techniques. Two
different types of supercapacitor electrode designs, with the use
of exine microcapsules of
Juglans
sporopollenin,
were performed for the first time. The maximum specific capacitance
was up to 1691 F g
–1
at 5 A g
–1
.